Source: BroBible
Summary
UCLA saw a drop in athletic donations after joining the Big Ten, according to CBS Sports. The school raised $13.5 million in fiscal 2025, down from $18.5 million in 2022. This placed UCLA 14th among Big Ten public schools. Media and NCAA revenue increased, but ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations fell. Expenses rose due to travel costs. UCLA’s athletic deficit decreased but still required university support to balance.
Our Reading
The habit gets a new name.
UCLA joined the Big Ten for more money.
They got more TV cash, but not more support.
Donations dropped. Expenses rose.
The new conference didn’t fix everything.
UCLA’s financial fix was mostly a loan from the university.
Author: Evan Null
UCLA Got The Big Ten Money And Lost Money Everywhere Else
The entire financial picture is an incredible case of successfully fixing one problem while several others catch fire.
UCLA’s combined media and NCAA revenue jumped from $41.2 million in fiscal 2023 to $77.3 million in 2025, an 88% increase after the move. Its Big Ten media-rights money alone reached more than $61 million in Year 1.
Mission accomplished. Then you keep reading the spreadsheet.
Ticket sales fell from $20.2 million to $18.3 million over that two-year period. Sponsorship, advertising, and licensing revenue cratered from $18.3 million to $10.6 million. Donations dropped from $15.6 million to $13.5 million.
Meanwhile, game and travel expenses increased from $24.2 million to $33.1 million because joining a conference filled with schools in places like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey turns out to involve slightly more transportation when your campus is in Los Angeles.
The Bruins Still Needed A $31 Million Rescue
The extra Big Ten money did improve the bottom line. UCLA’s reported athletic deficit fell from a horrific $51.9 million in fiscal 2024 to $21.6 million in 2025.
There is a catch. That $21.6 million loss already includes $31.1 million in university support counted as athletic revenue. Without that subsidy, the department generated $120.7 million against $173.4 million in expenses.
UCLA has now reported more than $240 million in cumulative athletic deficits since 2019.
There is at least some encouraging news beyond those 2025 numbers. UCLA announced in July that more than 6,500 donors provided over $41 million in broader private philanthropic support during fiscal 2025-26, suggesting fundraising improved substantially. The next standardized NCAA financial filing will provide a cleaner comparison with other schools.
That rebound could not arrive at a better time.
The Big Ten Was Supposed To Be A Financial Firehose
The Big Ten was supposed to give UCLA the financial firehose it needed, and in one important category, it absolutely did.
The Bruins just learned that television networks writing much bigger checks does not automatically make everyone else do the same.
The post UCLA Athletics Saw Donations Plummet And Other Revenue Fall After Joining The Big Ten For More Money appeared first on BroBible.
